He Giveth Again

“Not a single sparrow falls to the ground without Your Father’s consent.” Matthew 10:29

Charles Templeton was a charismatic preacher in the 40’s. He founded Youth for Christ and in 1946, he held crusades all over Western Europe with another charismatic young man, Billy Graham. Crowds would follow these evangelists, listen, and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But by 1948, Charles had doubts about his faith and God. He completely changed his world view and became an agnostic. One of the questions he wrestled with is the age old ‘Why would a good God allow all the pain and suffering in the world?” He put it this way, “Why does the omnipotent God, knowing that there are tens of thousands of men, women, and children starving to death in a parched land, simply let them waste away and die when all that is needed is rain?"

God is good and loves each one of us, but He also gave us the freedom to love Him back. He gave us the choice to rebel, to go against His Word and His law or to follow Him. All the evil in the world today is because we chose to disobey. But even when we are in pain, even when we suffer, if we choose Him, there is amazing, inexhaustible grace.

Annie Johnson Flint came to the faith at a young age, and was adopted by Christian parents along with her sister. She became a helpless invalid with little means and she started writing poems that were eventually published. It was painful for her to write with her twisted fingers, but her faith shone through her poems and she was able to minister and bless many. Although crippled, helpless and in pain, Annie never complained, and as she grew older, her suffering increased. She believed God could heal her in a heartbeat, but He chose not to, so she could glorify Him in her life. 

She wrote: “He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength when the labors increase; To added afflictions He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources Our Father’s full giving is only begun. Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision, Our God ever yearns His resources to share; Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing; The Father both thee and thy load will upbear. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.”